A Primrose In The Ashes
by Lipslikefire
Summary: We all know Katniss' story in the Games. But what if instead of Peeta and Katniss in the 74th Hunger Games, it was Prim and Gale? What would happen? Who will go up in flames? Will Prim become the face of the rebellion, or will she die trying? Prim's POV.
1. Chapter 1

Full summary: We all know Katniss was the one who volunteered for her sister, but what if Prim volunteered for Katniss? This is what would happen. Prim and Gale are reaped. What will happen? Who will die? Will Prim or Gale come out of the Arena, alive? Well, dear reader, you will just have to read on.

**A/N: Hey guys! So I know this has probably been done before, but I had a great idea. What if Prim and Gale went into the Games? These are Prim's Games. **

**Primrose Everdeen POV:**

"_Prim," A broken voice called out to me, "help us."_

_I looked around me. Katniss was standing next to me, her grey eyes vacant. Her skin was translucent, and her white shirt was stained with blood. Next to her stood the baker's son, Peeta. His blue eyes were unusually dull, his blond hair dirty. _

_Then, they both collapsed. Two cannons shot out in the distance._

_Katniss was dead. Peeta was dead. No matter what I did, where I looked, I saw Katniss' lifeless eyes. _

I gasped, my eyes fluttering open. It was only a dream. Katniss wasn't dead. I looked to my right for confirmation. Katniss was sleeping next to me, her black hair strewn across the pillow, out of its usual braid.

I picked my beautiful cat, Buttercup, off the foot of our bed. He wasn't really beautiful, not to Katniss, but he was to me. His fur exactly matched the color of a buttercup, for which he was named. He hates Katniss with a passion. I clearly remember the day when I brought him home.

"_Prim, you know we can't keep him. Look at his fur, it's covered in fleas! I don't want another mouth to feed." Katniss said, grabbing Buttercup away from me. She filled up a bucket of water. It wasn't until the last second that I realized what she was about to do._

"_No, Katniss!" I yelled. "You can't drown him!"_

_She didn't even glance in my direction. She dunked Buttercup into the bucket, keeping him submerged._

"_Katniss!" I yelled, trying in vain to pull her hand up out of the water. Buttercup was just a kitten! She couldn't kill him!_

_Tears fell out of my eyes. "Please, Katniss! Don't kill Buttercup!" _

_Katniss pulled him out of the water. "Buttercup?"_

_I grabbed my kitten and proceeded to dry him off with my blue shirt, despite his mews of protest._

"_Yes. His fur looks exactly like a buttercup!"_

I smiled and petted Buttercup. I was glad I had saved him; he was not only a great mouser, he was my best friend. Buttercup mewed in objection when I picked him up, but soon began purring. I stroked his coarse fur as I walked into Mama's room. I pulled the rough blanket up and slid into bed. Mama always chased away the nightmares.

Buttercup must have sensed my anxiety, for he cuddled up next to me, and rubbed his chin against mine. I fell back asleep to the sound of Mama's breathing and Buttercup's purring.

**A/N: Well, that's just the beginning. I know it was short, but I want to know if anyone is interested. For further clarification, the whole story will be from Prim's point of view. Gale will also be in the Games. This will be the only short chapter. Does it sound interesting? Tell it to me in a review. **

**~Fire**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Since the previous chapter was more of a prologue, this chapter will be longer. And from here on out, pretty much everything (aside from a few key details in this chapter) will be completely different from the book. Duh. Haha. Enjoy, and tell me what you think at the end!**

**~Fire**

I woke up to the sun's rays warming my face. I smiled; today would be a great day. I might be able to go to the bakery and see Peeta Mellark, the baker's son-

My smile immediately fades. There will be no happiness today. Today is the Reaping Day. Of course I'm scared for Katniss. She has her name in the drawing 20 times. I only have my name in once; it isn't impossible for my name to be picked, but it's possible. I feel a tear slide down my cheek when I realize that Katniss might _die. _I shake the thought away and climb out of bed.

I wash my face off with a towel. The dirt washes into the basin. I stare into my reflection. Will I myself go into the Games, only to return in a brown sack, dead? The Capitol is disgusting.

The Games….where do I start? 24 tributes enter, but only one leaves, alive. This is the Capitol's entertainment. And what's worse is that they even send mutts, mutated creations that the Capitol sends after them. I shudder, trying to rid my head of the images from my nightmare.

I silently help my mother into her favorite apothecary dress. It's a light blue that defines her eyes. I tie her hair into a bun. She thanks me quietly. Ever since our father died in that horrible mine accident, Mother has been quiet. She sunk into a depression, forcing Katniss to become the mother figure at a young age.

Mother helps me into Katniss' first reaping outfit- a skirt and ruffled blouse. The skirt fits, but the shirt is too big. Mother has to use some of her hairpins to hold it back, but even still, it won't tuck in at the back.

Just then, Katniss walks in. She smiles grimly at me. I wonder what happened. Did Gale upset her?

She climbs into the tub filled with warm water. I pet Buttercup as my Mother does some dishes.

Katniss wraps herself up in a towel, and looks with wide eyes at what Mother has laid out for her to wear. It's her favorite dress- one that she wore often before Father died. It's a light blue dress with matching shoes.

"Are you sure?" Katniss asks.

"Of course. Let's put up your hair too," Mother replies. I watch as Mother towel-dries Katniss' hair and begins to braid it. Her hands are magical, and she braids Katniss' hair in her trademark style.

"You look beautiful," I whisper.

Katniss smiles ruefully at me. Now that she's all ready, she has time to do my hair. I sit down as she sings while braiding my hair. It's an old song, one that Father used to sing to us. It's called The Hanging Tree.

_Are you, are you_

_Coming to the tree_

She dropped the lyrics and just hummed the basic tune until my braid was finished. I stood up.

Katniss looked at my back questioningly.

"Tuck your shirt in, little duck," She said, smiling. She tucked the shirt in.

I grinned. "Quack," I said, flopping my arms around like I really was a duck.

She smiled back. "Quack yourself."

Katniss and I walked towards the town center. Katniss walked over to the section clearly marked _16 year old females _and I walked over to the 12 year olds section. I managed to catch a glimpse of Peeta Mellark, the barker's son. HE was the one who had give Katniss bread all those years ago. If it hadn't been for him, we would have been dead.

Effie Trinket, the over-enthusiastic escort for this year's Games was wearing a bright pink wig.

She grabbed hold of the mike, and spoke with such a Capitol affected accent, it was hard not to laugh.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to this year's exciting Hunger Games! Now, let's get started! First, our lucky man." She thrust her hand in the reaping ball, down to the very bottom.

Her pink wig was slightly askew and she must have felt it slipping; her face soon turned a color similar to that of her wig.

She finally grabbed a hold of a slip and pulled it out triumphantly.

"Gale Hawthorne!" She proclaimed into the microphone.

I looked to where Katniss was standing. Her face had gone pale, and her mouth was open. I saw her mouth _Gale, _as he walked up to the stage.

He looked sullenly ahead, not wanting to give the cameras something extra to look at. Then Effie put her hand in the girl's ball; saying something about this year's _very honored lady._

When she pulled out the slip and read the name, I wanted to cry right there on the spot.

"Katniss Everdeen!" She called. Katniss walked up to the stage, but I didn't let her get far.

I ran up on stage with her, and in the clearest voice I could manage, said, "I volunteer! I volunteer for my sister!"

**A/N: Well, what did you think? Tell me in a review!**


	3. Broken Ties and Sad Goodbyes

**A/N: Drumroll, please! I am a horrible updater. But, you all knew that by now. So, let's skip me begging your forgiveness, and let me get to my main point: I am having MAJOR boy problems. It's the typical teenage crush thing: The girl likes the guy, but the guy likes another girl. However, Guy keeps egging Girl on, making her think that Guy possibly has feelings for her. Guy doesn't lose sleep over Girl, he just flirts with her without knowing it. Does Guy know that Girl cries over him, and wishes he liked her? No. Thank you for letting me vent. I'm just kinda wishing he liked me….but you didn't click on this for me to tell you a 5 page story about Guy, did you? And no, his name is not Guy. I don't want to tell you his name. However, I will tell you his name begins with the 11****th**** letter in the alphabet. And, on with the show!**

Gale was looking with sympathy at me. But the look he gave Katniss was undecipherable. Love? It couldn't be. There was nothing romantic between Gale and Katniss.

"Prim! You're only 12; there's no way you're going in that Arena!" Katniss said.

I shook my head slowly. My mouth was dry. "Katniss, I have to." I tried to look into Katniss' stormy grey eyes with confidence, but I couldn't hold her stunned gaze.

"Prim." Katniss said.

"Katniss. We could talk about this all day, but nothing will change: I'm going into the Games." I said.

Effie Trinket stood there idiotically, not knowing what to do.

I tried to push Katniss of the stage, but she wouldn't budge.

Effie was shaken out of her stupor. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have a volunteer! Um, what was your name, Sweetie?"

I glared at Effie. "Prim. Primrose Everdeen."

Effie laughed nervously. "Usually there's a matter of asking for volunteers, but….um…" She trailed off, looking around.

Haymitch Abernathy, the only living Victor of District 12 came stumbling up the stage, and walked towards me.

He threw his arm around me, clearly drunk. His breath reeked of vodka, and his eyes were glazed by the amount of alcohol in his system.

He burped, then spoke. "I like her. She's got that something we need. Whatdaya call it? Confidence. And spunk." He winked at me before walking over and throwing up at least a gallon of vodka and other various alcoholic beverages onto Effie's pink heels. Effie shrieked and ran off the stage, on the verge of tears. I was on the verge of tears too, but for a very different reason.

Haymitch was led off the stage by two burly Peacekeepers. They had to handcuff him because he kept trying to pet their hair, claiming it resembled a squirrel.

The mayor got out of his seat, and came up to the microphone. He proceeded to read aloud a speech that we're required by law to listen to every year, on Reaping Day. It told of the Dark Days, and the beginning of the Hunger Games. I tried to keep the tears out of my eyes. Our District was already the laughingstock of Panem; Gale and I didn't need to be marked as weaklings too. I stared ahead, trying to be brave. Going into the Games wasn't so bad, was it?

The mayor finished the dreary Treaty of Treason and sat back down.

"Now, give our lucky tributes a round of applause!" The mayor shouted into the microphone.

Then, right before we were led off the stage into the Justice Building to say our goodbyes, the whole District did something unheard of. One person put his three middle fingers of his left hand to his mouth and held them out to Gale and I. Then, one by one, people started to do the same thing, until everyone's hand was outstretched in the familiar three-finger salute. I was in awe. They did not approve of a twelve year old going into the Games. They were not happy. Such a clear act of rebellion would not go unnoticed. The man may die for doing it. But, could this be the start of a rebellion? Could it be the start of a revolution?

I didn't have a chance to ponder over that thought though. Two Peacekeepers ushered Gale and I into the Justice Building.

I was put into a room separate from Gale. I would have an hour to say my goodbyes. An hour to sever all ties from my family. An hour to accept that I would die in that Arena.

The room was much fancier than any of the District. There was a shaft of sunlight streaming through a window with light green curtains, giving the room a warm glow. There was a white bearskin rug on the floor. In the middle of the small room was a plush green chair. I sank gratefully into it, and put my hands into my face. I could feel the tears coming, but I tried to force them back.

The door creaked open, and I found myself staring into the blue eyes of Peeta Mellark. He came over to me and I stood up. I didn't know why he was here. At school, we didn't give any acknowledgement of each other. The only reason I had even heard of him was when Katniss came home with two loaves of bread that Peeta had given us. He had saved our lives.

Peeta sighed. "Prim, you're allowed to wear one thing from your District."

I nod, unsure of where this conversation is going. "Yes." I simply say.

Peeta takes something golden from his pocket. It's a pin. A pin with a jabberjay on it, with a arrow in its beak.

He places it on my shirt, fastening it with a flourish. "Wear it, Prim. And think of home when you do." He says, then walks out of the room without letting me so much as say a simple "thank you."

Katniss is next. She walks into the room, unsure until she sees me. She runs over to me and envelopes me into a big hug.

"Prim," She mumbles into my curled hair, "You're so stupid. You should have just let me go into the Arena. I don't know how I'll live with myself if you die."

"When," I correct her. "When I die."

She inhales deeply, and pulls away. "No, Prim. If you die. You have to at least _try._ For me. Promise you will." She says, looking deeply into my eyes.

I sigh. "Fine."

Katniss looks down to the jabberjay pin.

"Who gave you that?"

"Peeta Mellark."

"Peeta? Why?"

"I don't know." I say, looking away.

Suddenly Katniss's eyes fill with unshed tears. "Prim, Gale told me he loved me. I love him too. But he's going into the Games! And I can't choose between you." She says this last part softly, as if she's ashamed she values mine and Gale's life the same.

But I understand. She's known Gale since she was 12. He was her best friend. He still is. But even if he comes back from the Arena, will Katniss look at him the same way? Will she be able to love him again?

I stroke Katniss hair, pushing a lock behind her ear. She smiles sadly at me.

"I love you, Katniss." I say. There's so much more I know I should say, but the words won't come out.

"I love you too, Prim." Katniss says.

We hug for a few minutes, and for a moment I convince myself that it's all just a bad dream. I'll wake up, and Katniss and I will be safe.

When the Peacekeepers separate us and drag Katniss away, I know it's not just a dream.

It's reality. And, like it or not, I was going into the Games.

As Gale and I board the train that will take us to the Capitol, I send a prayer to heaven.

_Dear God, please don't let Katniss and Mother be too upset when I die._

**A/N: Like it? Love it? Hate it? Tell me it all in a review! And I know it's short. It'll get longer; just bear it with me!**

**~Fire**


	4. I shouldn't feel this way

**A/N: Hey, guys! For those of you who have a tribute in my newest SYOT, well, I have it saved on my laptop, but it won't hold an internet connection…. **** Sorry! Anyway, here's another (longer) chapter of A Primrose In The Ashes. Hope you guys like it!**

The stylists for District 12 were a bunch of wackjobs. Portia, Flavius, and Octavia were beyond obsessed with the latest Capitol trends. It was all about makeup, outfits, and Botox. Cinna, on the other hand, was the least obnoxious of the four. He actually asked me how I was doing, and talked with me. I decided I liked him. I wasn't even bothered anymore that I was standing in front of him, naked, while he scanned over me, nodding and shaking his head at times. He ran a hand through my hair.

"Hmmm, very nice. We could work with this. How do you feel about pigtails, Prim?" Cinna asked. He just assumed I wouldn't kill him for calling me Prim and not Primrose. He assumedright.

"I don't really like pigtails. I like my hair natural." I said.

"Hm, natural. I could do that." Cinna said, continuing to look over me.

He walked out of the room so the other stylists were free to do what they pleased with me. We were only a few hours from the chariot rides. I hoped Gale and I wouldn't be dressed up in boring coal miner's suits like the District 12 tributes were last year.

Portia and Octavia massaged lotions and oils into my skin until I smelled like I had taken a nap in a bed of flowers. They shaved every part of me, leaving me feeling as vulnerable as a newborn. They took my nails disapprovingly and cleaned them, rinsing the dirt out from underneath them and filing them into perfect crescents.

Once I was all prettied up, they allowed Cinna back in. He had a few bags in his hand, and a silly grin plastered on his face.

I groaned. "We're not going to be stupid coal miners again, are we?" I asked.

Cinna feigned shock. "What? With me around, nothing's going to be bland about you and Gale, my dear. No one will forget these chariot rides."

Cinna pulled something colorful from the first bag and unfolded it carefully. My hands flew to my mouth when I saw how beautiful it was. I didn't deserve to wear such a brilliantly crafted thing. It was a red leotard, with tiny lines of orange flowing up it.

"It gets better. Put it on." Cinna ordered.

I did as I was told. It looked beautiful on me; I didn't see how it could get any better. But, Cinna proved me wrong once again. He held a small remote in his left hand. When he pressed the little red button, I stopped breathing. I was on _fire._ I knew it wasn't real, but for a second I doubted myself. How could I not be feeling the heat of the flames licking my skin? Why wasn't I burning? Cinna adjusted it so it looked like a dying campfire. It still looked stunning.

"Now, Prim, when you're first going into the stadium, the suit will be set to black. Then, I'll just press this button, and it will slowly start to come to life. Same with Gale's suit." Cinna said, grinning.

"It's amazing." I said, to awestruck to say anything more.

"An outfit is only as good as the one who wears it. Now," Cinna said, turning the suit off, "I'm going to keep your hair down, like you said you preferred it. We'll just do light makeup; we don't want to detract from your outfit, do we?" Cinna led me into a room that had a full length mirror on the far right side. A chair was in the middle, flanked by tables with rows upon rows of various Capitol makeup. Glitter eyelashes, all kinds of eye shadows, kohl, eyeliner, you name it. Even eye shadow made with real gold dust.

I took a seat in the chair, and closed my eyes. Cinna brushed my hair gently, and I felt his fingers work through it. I would keep my eyes closed until the very end, to keep it a surprise. I liked surprises.

Cinna stopped playing with my hair, seemingly satisfied with the result. I then heard some things being moved on the tables next to me.

"Open your eyes and look up, sweetie," Cinna said. I opened my eyes, but didn't look in the mirror. Cinna put some mascara on, and a tad of red eyeliner. I didn't know anyone who could pull off red eyeliner. Maybe my luck had run out. He dabbed some light gloss on my lips. I had told him I didn't want to wear lipstick. He mixed some eye shadows together and put something orange-tinged onto my eyelids. He applied a light coat of blush, and stepped back, scrutinizing my face. He narrowed his eyes, looking for any imperfections in my carefully done makeup. Finding none, he exhaled and smiled.

"Look in the mirror, Prim." He said, stepping aside so I could get up and see myself. I walked to the mirror, keeping my eyes on the ground. I was still afraid of the red eyeliner. I was sure I would look like a clown.

When I finally worked up the nerve to look in the mirror, my lungs failed me once more. Instead of the clown I was sure I resembled, I saw a beautiful, striking young lady.

My hair was curled lightly, and it ran in waves down my back, giving the slightly unkempt look. My makeup made my cheekbones more prominent, and my lips shined in the faint light. My eyes gave off a glow, looking as if they too were on fire. My eye shadow had been manipulated by Cinna so that it looked like my eyes were engulfed in flame. It was shockingly beautiful.

I looked at Cinna.

"Cinna," I croaked.

I cleared my throat. "It's amazing. Gosh, I sound like a broken record player. But it's true. It's amazing, Cinna." I said, hugging him.

Cinna hugged me back and stepped away, smiling. "Now, go out to room 34D and wait there for the chariot. I also pulled something together for the horses." He said with a wink.

I knew where 34D would be. We were in 32A, so it must be only a few doors down. I walked into the room and sat in a seat, careful to not mess up my makeup.

The door opened, revealing a stunningly handsome man. I was just about to introduce myself when I realized the man I was staring at was _Gale._

His black hair was brushed, and his muscles were obvious under the tight suit. He crossed his arms, and I saw that he too was wearing eyeliner. Somehow, it only made him look sexier. I felt my face flush when I realized what I was thinking. Surely Gale only though of me as a sister, nothing more. After all, I was only 12. Soon to be 13, in a few days. But I probably would be dead by then.

"Hey Prim," Gale said, sitting down in a chair opposite mine.

"Hey, Gale. Cinna did amazing with the outfits, don't you think?" I asked.

Gale laughed. "I suppose so. You look beautiful, Prim." He said. I felt my face heat up again, but I conquered the feeling. I wasn't supposed to be falling for Gale. He was 15 and a half, and I was barely 13.

"Thanks. You don't look too bad, yourself," I said. I had to play it off like it was no big deal, even if it sort of was. At least, to me.

Then the giant double doors I had failed to notice earlier opened wide. Standing in front of us were horses who looked like they had just come from the depths of hell. They were covered in flames, but they didn't seem to mind. As long as they got an apple, they were fine.

Their midnight black eyes reflected the flames, ad it gave me the shivers. It was just so amazing. Then , the horse's flames died down, so they just looked like regular horses. I remembered that Cinna had said we would be inconspicuous at first. Cinna walked out from behind the horses, and smirked.

"Whoa." Gale and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and laughed.

Cinna went about to attaching the harness to the horses, and the harness to a chariot. Soon, the horses were all set to go.

We were in the last room for the chariot rides, being from District 12. Right before we go onto the chariot, Cinna stopped us.

"Never before have tributes showed unity. When you first enter the stadium, hold each other's hand. Play the crowd. Then I'll turn on the outfits. Got it? Good. Now, go blow the crowd off their feet." Cinna said. We stepped into the chariot, and began the daunting process of waiting in line to enter the stadium. When we were seconds from seeing the crowd, Gale grasped my hand and gave me a small smile. I knew he was missing Katniss.

Katniss! I thought suddenly. What would I do? Didn't Gale love her? What right did I think I had to have a crush on Gale? He was Katniss's, and Katniss was his. My face burned with shame when I realized I hadn't thought of Katniss all day.

I calmed myself right in time. When we arrived, the crowd was silent. Not the good silent, either. The bored, waiting-for-it-to-be-over-so-I-can-sleep silent. When was Cinna going to make us go up in flames?

We waved, and soon had the bored crowd's attention. Suddenly, I was engulfed in a raging inferno, as were Gale and the horses. I heard the audience's collective gasp, and the thunderous roar of thousands of hands coming together. I blew kisses to the crowd, and smiled brilliantly. Gale was quite the ladies man. Every time he blew a kiss to the audience, girls would pretend to grab it and hold it to their hearts. We were still holding hands, and it gave me comfort to know that I had someone in these Games, even if that someone didn't necessarily feel the same way towards me as I did towards him.

We continued laughing and gaining the crowd's favor, ignoring the looks of awe and envy from the other tributes. There were two lists Gale and I would be put on: The first to die list, and the allies list. I was hoping for the latter.

As the chariot rides drew to a close, I felt a sudden pang of home sickness. I missed Buttercup. I missed Mother. I missed Katniss. Why, I even missed Peeta.

When we got to our rooms, the first thing I did was gingerly pry of my now dead suit, and climb in the shower.

I scrubbed all of Cinna's work away, watching the drain fill with blacks and oranges and vibrant reds. I pressed a button at random, and a sweet smelling shampoo came out of a nozzle. It smelled like oranges. As the warm water cascaded down my body, I wondered what it would be like if, instead of Gale and I going into the Games, it was Katniss and Peeta.

One thing was for certain. I had to impress the Gamemakers in the training center, or I wouldn't make it past the bloodbath.

**A/N: So, what did you guys think? I wanted to switch up the outfits, because I don't want to go all copycat on the Hunger Games. XD Leave it all in a review! And, like I said earlier, I'll update the SYOT fic next time I have internet (on my laptop; I'm on my Mom's computer right now), which will probably be in a few days.**

**~Fire**


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